SynthesisJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2016
Antipsychotic Medication for Prevention and Treatment of Delirium in Hospitalized Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT06029244 (Eyecontrol coMmunication Platform for dEliRium manaGemEnt in Intensive Care Units), which is not on this map. Cited by 161 papers, 17 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Eyecontrol coMmunication Platform for dEliRium manaGemEnt in Intensive Care Units (EMERGE) : A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
161 citing papers in PubMed, 17 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 493 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Nonpharmacological interventions for preventing delirium in adult patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of perioperative esketamine administration on the incidence of postoperative delirium: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC anesthesiology · 2026Pooled it
- The effect of sleep-oriented non-pharmacological interventions in preventing delirium: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Croatian medical journal · 2025Pooled it
- Medication-induced causes of delirium in patients with and without dementia: a systematic review of published neurology guidelines.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2025Pooled it
- Systematic literature review on early detection of postoperative delirium in adult patients after cardiac surgery.Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2024Pooled it
- Treatment Effects in Randomized and Nonrandomized Studies of Pharmacological Interventions: A Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2024Pooled it
- Exploring Antipsychotic Use for Delirium Management in Adults in Hospital, Sub-Acute Rehabilitation and Aged Care Settings: A Systematic Literature Review.Drugs & aging · 2024Pooled it
- Deep brain stimulation in PD: risk of complications, morbidity, and hospitalizations: a systematic review.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Heterogeneity in design and analysis of ICU delirium randomized trials: a systematic review.Trials · 2021Pooled it
- A call to action for delirium research: Meta-analysis and regression of delirium associated mortality.BMC geriatrics · 2020Pooled it
- Benzodiazepines for treatment of patients with delirium excluding those who are cared for in an intensive care unit.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Drug therapy for delirium in terminally ill adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Prophylactic use of exogenous melatonin and melatonin receptor agonists to improve sleep and delirium in the intensive care units: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2019Pooled it
- Melatonin for the prevention of postoperative delirium in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2019Pooled it
- Pharmacological interventions for the treatment of delirium in critically ill adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Antipsychotics for treatment of delirium in hospitalised non-ICU patients.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Early Intervention of Perioperative Delirium in Older Patients (>60 years) with Hip Fracture: A Randomized Controlled Study.Orthopaedic surgery · 2022Trial
- Efficacy and Safety of Remimazolam Besylate versus Dexmedetomidine for Sedation in Non-Intubated Older Patients with Agitated Delirium After Orthopedic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Drug design, development and therapy · 2022Trial
- Efficacy of quetiapine for delirium prevention in hospitalized older medical patients: a randomized double-blind controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2021Trial
101 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Erratum issuedErratum.2016
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of antipsychotic medications in preventing and treating delirium.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis.
settingPubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched from January 1, 1988, to November 26, 2013.
participantsAdult surgical and medical inpatients.
interventionAntipsychotic administration for delirium prevention or treatment in randomized controlled trials or cohort studies. MEASUREMENTS: Two authors independently reviewed all citations, extracted relevant data, and assessed studies for potential bias. Heterogeneity was considered as chi-square P < .1 or I(2) > 50%. Using a random-effects model (I(2) > 50%) or a fixed-effects model (I(2) < 50%), odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for dichotomous outcomes (delirium incidence and mortality), and mean or standardized mean difference for continuous outcomes (delirium duration, severity, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS)). Sensitivity analyses included postoperative prevention studies only, exclusion of studies with high risk of bias, and typical versus atypical antipsychotics.
resultsScreening of 10,877 eligible records identified 19 studies. In seven studies comparing antipsychotics with placebo or no treatment for delirium prevention after surgery, there was no significant effect on delirium incidence (OR = 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.23-1.34, I(2) = 93%). Using data reported from all 19 studies, antipsychotic use was not associated with change in delirium duration, severity, or hospital or ICU LOS, with high heterogeneity among studies. No association with mortality was detected (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.62-1.29, I(2) = 0%).
conclusionCurrent evidence does not support the use of antipsychotics for prevention or treatment of delirium. Additional methodologically rigorous studies using standardized outcome measures are needed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.